Stenographer&#39;s practice device.



J. A. WEINGART.

STENOGRAPHERS PRACTICE DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. I9I2.

1,192,025. Y PatentedJuIy25,1916.

enable rhe manu focfuver- ThRoucIh Increase o JOHAN A. WEINGART, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STENOGRAPHERS PRACTICE DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Application led February 23, 1912. Serial No. 679,470.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, J oI-IAN A. WEINGART, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 469 lVest One Hundred and Sixty-fourth street, New York city, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stenographers Practice Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clean-and Aexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a device which, in the hands of a person learning or practising stenography, will be of service in assisting him to acquire increased speed and accuracy.

To this end the invention comprises a device capable of presenting to view the successive lines of a manuscript or copy at a speed which does not substantially exceed or fall below the maximum speed at which the user is able to transcribe, thus serving to urge him to his best speed without lagging or omission. At the same time the matter to be transcribed is presented in such a way that the user will see at once the word he is to transcribe and the stenographic sign which he employs to indicate that word, so that the word and the sign will become aSsociated with one another in his mind.

The device, broadly considered, comprices a manuscript-holder adapted to receive a typewritten or other copy of the matter which has been selected as suitable for practice work, the holder being provided with a sight-opening or the like correspond ing in length to the length of the typewritten lines, and preferably arranged to expose but a single line, together with appropriate means for presenting the successive lines of the manuscript at the sight-opening. In working up my' invention into practical form I have embodied it in such a structure that this broad idea is associated with more specific features, the purpose of which is to increase the utility of the device by making it convenient to handle, by rendering it possible to quickly change the manuscript held by it, and particularly by so arranging the parts that when the device is in the hand of the user the manuscript may be advanced by drawing the holder toward the user with slight pressure along a flat surface, such as the stenographers note-book or table, and that the exposed line of manuscript will be in close proximity `to the flat surface so that the stenographer will see in close proximity the word he is to transcribe, and the stenographic sign which he employs to indicate that word. This preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the device in elevation with the cover partly broken away; Fig. 2 1s a cross-section; and Fig. 3 is a detail showing the automatic stop and one of the terminal plates which support the feed roller.

The manuscript holder is lshown as a comparatively thin rectangular box-like frame having a back 1, sides 2 and an upper end strip 3, the front of the holder being closed by the cover 4 and plate 5. Adjustably mounted on the end strip 3 is a spring rollersupport comprising the bent spring 6 carried by thel screw 7 which passes through the end strip 3 and is provided with the thumbnut 8 by which the effective tension of the spring may be varied. The spring 6 carries a wire yoke 9 having its two ends bent to form two downwardly extending hooks 10 adapted to receive the ends of the shaft of one of the manuscript-carrying rolls 11. The lower end of the frame is open and below it the other carrying roller 12 is supported by the terminal plates 13 which are notched at their lower extremities to receive the shaft 14 of the roll 12. These terminal plates are identical in formv and are preferably made of bent metal having their front edges flush at their upper portions with the cover 4 and projecting somewhat at their' lower portions, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to receive the ends 15 of the plate 5. The rear edges of the plates 13 are turned under as indicated in Fig. 2 to lie at one portion (indicated at 16) against the back surface of the back plate of the frame, and at another portion (indicated at 17) against one of the side strips 2 and immediately beneath the end of the back 1. The end ofthe back l-has a straight edge, and as a result of the construction just described the terminal plates 13 may be made to embrace the lower portion of the frame and the turnedover portions 17 may be brought up against the straight edge so that when the terminal plates 13 are screwed in place by the screws 24 the roller 12 and the lower straight edge of the plate 5, which plate is carried by the terminal plates 13, willalways be in alineup in proper form to be sold with the holden It will be understood that the notches of the star-wheel 18 will be so spacedwith relation to the diameter of the shaft 12 and the spacing of the lines on the manuscript that an advance of the star-wheel from one notch to the next will advance the manuscript a sufficient distance to present the l next line of writing. ln the preferred form of the invention this advancement is accomplished by meansof the milled pinions 23 of the shaft 14, which pinions are adapted, by pressure engagement with a Hat surface such as the users note-book or table, to turn the roll and advance the copy, such advance being governed by the star-wheel 18. If the lines of the manuscript were written inthe ordinary way the pinions 23 would haveto be turned by a movement on the flat surface away from the user to present the lines of the manuscript in succession, and though such an arrangement is entirely feasible, l greatly prefer the arrangement illustrated in the drawings in which the lines of the manuscript are written ink reverse order so that by drawing the holder toward the user over the flat surface the lines of the manuscript will be presented in succession. Not only is such a movement the most natural one, butit enables the us-r, without lifting the device from the flat surface, to follow along with the holder as he advances down the page of his note-book with his stenegraphic notes, so that the line to be copied is always presented in close proximity to the line of notes which he is writing.

lt will further be understood that when the manuscript in the holder is to be changed itis only necessary to snap the ends of shaft of the roll 11 out of the hooks 10, withdraw the roll 11, and then pull out the manuscript with the roll 12, from the lower end of the holder. TNhereupon the manuscript may be removed from the roller 12, replaced by another manuscript, and the 'whole again inserted in the frame, where the manuscript will be held under by the spring 6. n Y

Although I haveV thus illustrated and described the preferred form of my invention embodying the several advantageous features above indicated, neverthelessit will be tension -understood that the invention may be embodied, with all or less than all of these advantageous features, in many different forms. In fact it is, so far as l am aware,

broadly new to provide for the purpose indicated a manuscript-holder having means for exposing in succession the lines of the manuscript, and the claims appended hereto should be correspondingly interpreted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. ln a device of the character described, in combination, a frame, a manuscript sup ported therein, an element movably 'mount ed upon said frame and in engagement with the supporting surface, when the frame is supported upon a surface in its normal position of use, said frame having a sight opening to expose a line of the manuscript, said clement being` moved upon movement of the frame along the surface upon which it is supported, and mechanism for moving the manuscript as the element is moved, to expose successive lines of the manuscript through the sight opening` 2. ln a device' of the character described, t

in combination, a frame, a manuscript supported therein, yan element movably mounted upon said frame and in engagementwith the supporting surface, when the frame is supported upon a surface in its normal position of use, said frame having a sight opening in thc vicinity of the element to expose a line of the manuscript, said element being moved upon movement of the frame along the surface upon which it is supported, and mechanism for moving the manuscript as the element is moved, to expose successive lines of the manuscript through the sight opening.

3. ln a device of the character described, a pair of rolls, spring tensioning means for drawing the rolls apart, an endless band of manuscript passing over said rolls with entries thereon written in reverse order of reading, a supporting frame for said rolls inclosing said manuscript except for a sight opening at the lower portion of the frame, and friction wheels carried by the lower roll and protruding at the lower portion of the frame for contact with a flat surface along which the Vdevice may be moved progressively while supported in the hand ,of the operator; substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair of rolls, a frame furnishing bearings for the lower roll and carrying a spring for yieldingly supporting the upper roll to draw said rolls apart, an

endless band of manuscript passing over said rolls and capable ofadvancement up,- ward across the fronts of said rolls, and feed mechanism for advancing the manuscript by equal steps corresponding to the distance between successive lines thereon, said feed mechanism comprising rotating elements protruding at the lower portion of said frame for frictional engagement with a surface over which said frame may be moved while supported by the hand of the operator, said feed mechanism also including a star wheel and spring detent engaging therewith to arrest the manuscript in its successive po sitions; substantially as described.

5. In a device of thevcharacter described, in combination, a frame, a manuscript supported therein and having the lines thereof written in reverse order of reading, an element movably mounted upon said frame and in engagement -with the supporting surface, when the frame is supported upon a surface in its normal position of use, said frame hav ing a sight opening to expose a line of the manuscript, said element being moved upon movement of the frame along the surface upon which it is supported, and mechanism for moving the manuscript as the element is moved, to expose successive lines of the manuscript through the sight opening.

6. A stenographers practice device comprising a manuscript holder, an inclosure therefor of a shape to be held conveniently by the stenographer in one hand in proximity to the surface upon which he is inscribing stenographic notes with the other hand, a sight opening in the said inclosure, and mechanism actuable by the pressure upon, and movement of the stenographers hand so holding the device over the surface to progressively advance the manuscript to expose successive lines thereof at the sight opening, whereby the stenographer may keep the words to be copied in immediate proximity to the stenographic signs which he makes to represent them, and may conveniently advance the copy to the sight opening.

7. In a device of the character described, a rectangular box-like covered frame open at one end, a feed roll supported in exposed position, at the open end, a spring-yoke Within the frame, ay tensioning roll supported by the yoke, a strip of manuscript on the rolls with ,the lines thereof written in reverse order of reading, and a protruding friction driving element on the feed roll positioned for frictional engagement with a-flat surface to advance the manuscript.

8. In a device of the character described, a rectangular box-like covered frame open at one end, a feed roll supported in exposed position at the open end, a spring yoke within the frame, a tensioning roll supported by the yoke, a strip of manuscript on the rolls with the lines thereof written in reverse order of reading, a protruding friction driving element on the feed roll positioned for frictional engagement with a flat surface to advance the manuscript7 and an automatic stop for arresting the manuscript in such position as to expose successive lines thereof in close proximity to such surface; substantially as described.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a pair of rolls, an endless manuscript carried thereby, a supporting frame for said rolls having side members and a back, the lower edge of said back forming a straight edge, and terminal plates embracing the side members of the frame, and having portions seating against the straight edge of the back, said plates havinv' receiving sockets for the lowermost feed rolln, and a cover plate carried by said terminal plates and'having a straight edge near the lower portion of the frame adjacent to which edge the manuscript becomes progressively visible when shifted on said rollers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHAN A. VEINGART.

Witnesses: Y

IVILLIAM I-I. Davis,

M. A. BILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

